Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

"What to the Slave is the 4th of July?" read by Ossie Davis
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
01 Jul 2022
🖨️ Print Article

Black Agenda Radio · "What to the Slave is the 4th of July?" read by Ossie Davis

On July 5, 1852 Frederick Douglass was asked to speak on the topic of the nation’s independence celebration. Now known as "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?", the speech was a stinging indictment of slavery in the U.S., but the words are still relevant to Black people 170 years later. The late Ossie Davis read excerpts from Douglass’s remarks.

Slavery in U.S.
Frederick Douglass

Related Podcasts

Frederick Douglass
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
"What to the Slave is the 4th of July?" read by Ossie Davis
03 July 2024
As we grow closer to the Fourth of July, BAR once again shares
Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Twenty Dollars and Change: Harriet Tubman and the Ongoing Fight for Racial Justice and Democracy
03 March 2023
Black Agenda Radio July 1, 2022
Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
Black Agenda Radio July 1, 2022
01 July 2022
We discuss reproductive justice in the wake of the supreme court ruling which overturned the Roe v. Wade decision.

More Stories


  • Catch the “‘F’ the Police” Train
    Black Agenda Radio with Nellie Bailey and Glen Ford
    Catch the “‘F’ the Police” Train
    21 Jan 2020
    On January 31 activists plan to confront New York City cops in protests over high transit fares and police brutality, under the banner “F.T.P,” according to Shannon Jones, of
  • Black Self-Defense is Important, But Ideology is Paramount
    Black Agenda Radio with Nellie Bailey and Glen Ford
    Black Self-Defense is Important, But Ideology is Paramount
    21 Jan 2020
    Yafeuh Balogun, a leader of the Dallas-based Huey P Newton Gun Club, which advocates armed Black self-defense, said the club was inspired by the “founding of the Black Panther
  • MLK and the Black Misleadership Class
    Glen Ford , BAR executive editor
    MLK and the Black Misleadership Class
    16 Jan 2020
    Dr.
  • Freedom Rider: Solidarity with Moms 4 Housing
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR senior columnist
    Freedom Rider: Solidarity with Moms 4 Housing
    15 Jan 2020
    Black women in Oakland confronted the austerity regime head-on, by seizing the housing their families need.
  • My Trip to China Exposed the Shameful Lies Peddled by the American Empire
    Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
    My Trip to China Exposed the Shameful Lies Peddled by the American Empire
    15 Jan 2020
    China is a land of bullet trains and rising standards of living, in contrast to the decay of the imperial center, the United States. 
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us